Let’s Play

OLYMPIA RINGS

How To Play

Setup

• Gather a Sportcraft set comprising 4 Olympia Sticks and 2 Olympia Hoops.

• Find a playing area of 20 to 30 feet, depending on the players' skill level.

Gameplay

• Two players stand facing each other, spaced approximately 20 to 30 feet apart. Each player holds 2 Olympia Sticks.

• The server places one of the Hoops on their crossed sticks, holding the sticks with knuckles on top and thumbs inside. They swiftly pull the sticks apart, launching the Hoop straight at the opponent (receiver) in a manner resembling a breaststroke motion in swimming. The Hoop should fly evenly through the air toward the receiver.

• The receiver catches the Hoop using either 1 or 2 Sticks. Upon catching, the receiver becomes the server and returns the Hoop to their opponent.

• It's advantageous to catch with 2 Sticks, enabling faster returns and heightening the game's tempo.

• For three or more players, form a circle. Each player holds 2 Sticks and passes either 1 or 2 Hoops around.

Scoring

• An official game consists of 15 points.

• Points are scored when the receiver fails to catch the Hoop due to a bad serve or a miss.

History

Olympia Rings by Sportcraft has been produced in multiple variations. In the rules book it references inspiration deriving from a game from Italy. The game design from a historical standpoint is most similar to Game of Graces which was created in France in the early 1800’s. The game was mostly played by females.